Review-What a Handful-ACT
29-10-12
By: Tom Hope
‘What A Handful!’ (surtitled ‘If you can bring it, you can sing it’) just about scraped under the bar of what HKELD will review because, alongside the singing, there was a caparison of cabaret – some parody songs, fancy costuming, a semi-striptease and spurts of stand-up from the Compere.
It was all in a good cause (Breast Cancer Awareness Month – hence the title) and the assembled throng whooped it up in fine fashion as they breasted the evening’s fare.
What I liked best: a scorching ‘River Deep’ (Rhoda Rivera and Jennifer Moberg all-black-sensational in wigs, slips, heels and not much else besides full throttle vocals), a soulful ‘God Only Knows’ (Stephen Bolton and Kevin Thornton duetting sublimely as to the manner born), a Sorta Love Song (Natalie Shull & Rainbow Chow laying bare just about every male foible under the sun yet still seeming tender to the unfairer sex) and Stairway (to Heaven, climbed by Greg Hunt and Warren Needham to new heights – and lows – by way of an alternative Wanchai lyric).
Special mention too for Hayley Thomas and Tessa Lowe rendering ‘Read All About It’ way better than Emeli Sande at the Olympics Closing Ceremony; for acapella group Gracenotes pumping out Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ as if they really were; for Lester Clark and Michael Rogers inflecting gay innuendo into every inch of ‘A Whole New World; and for D’Arcy and D’Voeux’s ‘Morph into Vogue’, the only non-singing routine of the night, a striptease which stopped short of the full Vogue Monty but with sufficient panache for no-one to feel cheated.
Another thing I liked was the title. Last year ‘What A Rack!’, before that ‘What A Pair!’… so I’m intrigued to see how it bills in a year’s time (‘What A Jugful!’ or ‘What A Stack!’, maybe?)
Will I go next year if I have to pay for a ticket? Probably not unless with a group of friends taking a table and making a meal of it, or tempted by a more themed approach to the evening – a Dolly Parton male impersonator, perhaps, or a Muppet feeling a right tit, or a spoofed up version of ‘Swingers’ – something more specifically designed to demystify the menace of a disease which is so readily remedied if detected early, and so readily detected if you don’t mind a good grope on a regular basis… But hold on a minute, Tom – why be such a grumpy guts, requiring sustained themes and meaningful exposition? This show set out to be a fun fundraiser and that’s exactly what it was, from start to finish. So give a hand to ACT – and the handful of its assorted acts - for making ‘What A Handful!’ happen with such concerted clap-happiness!
What a Handful was a one night only charity benefit. For more information on this performance, please click here.
Comments
Ally
I liked the show and love my friends that were in it, but... it was WAY too long and there were too many performers. We didn't get out of there til almost 11! (And the host was not child friendly at all- the couple next to me left in the middle of show because he kept cursing.)
29 October 2012Donna
Completely agree with the above comment. Host was completely inappropriate and ill prepared.
29 October 2012Daniel
Love Mischa and the charity. I go every year but the show was just too long this time. Some of the songs weren't even that well rehearsed- they should have been cut.
30 October 2012Stu
I think the reviewer has missed the point of the production. It's a fun night of singing to raise money for breast cancer. It's not supposed to be Broadway caliber and they never pretend it to be a fancy event. No, it's not perfect and yes, they could do things better. But, I always enjoy going to this event every single year. They raise a lot of money for a good cause using their talent and that is to commended.
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